Mad Vengeance
by thesweeper1957
Summary: Dr. Claw has our intrepid heroine in his sights and won't rest until she is eliminated. This is the third story in my Penny Gadget series along with "A Penny for your Thoughts" and "Reunion".


Mad Vengeance

_All children, except one, grow up. - J. M. Barrie "Peter Pan"_

**[Chapter 1 - The Home Office]**

I was making my way through the crowd in the London airport terminal when I saw a tall handsome young man near the exit wearing a dark business suit and dark glasses holding a sign with my name written on it.

I went over to talk to him.

"Excuse me, sir."

"May I help you, Miss.?"

"Yes sir, I'm Amy Montgomery."

"Is that right?"

"That's my name on your sign."

"Yes, I'm waiting for a woman named Amy Montgomery."

"I'm Amy Montgomery."

"Yes, I know, you just said that. It's funny you should have the same name as the woman I'm waiting for."

"No sir, I mean, I'm the woman you're waiting for."

"Ha-ha-ha, you've had your fun, now move along."

He gazed around the airport and tried to ignore me. I pulled my passport out of my purse then tugged on his sleeve. He looked down at me like I was a pest. I held up my passport for him to see and he took it out of my hand. He studied my passport then looked at me then looked at my passport then looked at me again. "Miss," he said, scratching his head, "did you pick up your mother's passport by mistake?"

"No sir," I said, "that's my passport. It has my picture on it, see?"

"I see, um, excuse me, Miss., do you mind if I make a phone call?"

"No, I don't mind."

He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and punched in some numbers. "Would you connect me with Mr. P.?" he said, into his phone. "Thank you." He smiled at me and tapped his foot while he waited.

He turned around and spoke in a low voice. "Sir, this is Tony… Yes, I'm at the airport… Yes, a young girl claiming… Oh… I see… Yes sir… Yes sir… We're on our way… Yes sir… Goodbye sir."

Tony put his phone back into his coat pocket, smiled sheepishly at me, motioned with his hand toward the exit, said, politely, "Please come this way, Miss. Montgomery" then took charge of my suitcase and led me to an awaiting limousine.

The limousine driver held the backdoor of the limousine open for me and I climbed inside. Tony had a brief conversation with the driver then sat in the seat next to me. The driver put my suitcase into the trunk, sat behind the wheel (on the right hand side), pulled away from the curb and drove us toward downtown London. Tony pointed out some interesting sights along the way. I tried to enjoy the ride but anxiety was preventing me. My upcoming meeting with my boss was dominating my thoughts.

The driver dropped us off in front of a very tall steel and glass office building with a sign over the doors that read: E. G. Pringle Investments. Tony ushered me into the building, through the lobby, into an elevator, up to the top floor, down a hall, into an office then said goodbye and left me in the room. My boss was sitting behind a large desk. His name is E. G. Pringle.

Mr. Pringle motioned with his hand toward a chair in front of his desk and I climbed into the seat facing him.

"I know you're upset, Miss. Montgomery." he said, "Just get it off of your chest. Tell me what's on your mind."

"Sir," I said, trying to control my emotions and failing, "who dropped those bombs on the missile base and why weren't we warned ahead of time?"

"We don't know who dropped those bombs. Nobody is admitting to it."

"If it wasn't for Inspector Gadget's gadgets I would have died."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry."

"Well… you did send out a team to rescue us, that is something… I guess."

I was not in the mood to be reasonable.

"I'm sorry it took so long." said Mr. Pringle, "They had to bring in some heavy equipment to move all the rocks. I've been very worried about you."

"I'm still very angry." I said, crossing my arms and pouting.

"Yes and understandably so. I've been trying to find out why you were even there in the first place. The order didn't come from this office. We think somebody hacked our system. We're still investigating."

"What?!"

"You were set up. We assume it was Dr. Claw, but how it was done we don't know…yet."

I jumped out of the chair and yelled, "I've got to get out there and find out!"

"No, Miss. Montgomery," said Mr. Pringle, calmly, "I can't have you out in the field right now. It's just too great a risk."

I pleaded, "But I have to."

"No, you're going to work here at the home office."

"But…"

He raised his eyebrows at me.

I plopped back into the seat, crossed my arms and turned my head away in disgust.

"Miss. Montgomery, give it a chance. London is a beautiful city with many things to do. I think you'll like it here. Your job will not be boring I promise you."

I muttered, "Of course I'm not going to say no."

"Has anybody told you about your new job?"

"No," I snapped, "I just got here."

Mr. Pringle stood up and walked around his desk. "Come with me." he said, "I'll show you to your new office."

I hopped out of the chair and followed him. He is a very tall man and I felt like a little mouse walking behind him. His calm manner unnerved me.

We stepped into the hall and he pointed at the name plate on a door across the way. The name plate read: Ms. Amy Montgomery. I wondered why I hadn't noticed it coming in.

He opened the door to the office and we walked inside. The office had large widows on two sides with an incredible view of London; a desk and chairs, filing cabinets and a computer.

I was bewildered. This is certainly not what I was expecting.

"Miss. Montgomery," said Mr. Pringle, "you are now a member of the Command Team. You will have a say in every operation."

_Command Team?_ _Me? _I thought, incredulously.

"Welcome to the team Miss. Montgomery. You don't have to go out there to investigate. You can investigate right here. There will be a Command Team meeting at three o'clock in the conference room. I expect to see you there. The conference room, by the way, is one floor down. Relax and make yourself at home until then. If you need a snack or a drink just push the number one on your desk phone. Someone will take care of you. Welcome again, Miss. Montgomery, I will see you at three o'clock."

"Yes sir." I said, "I'll be there."

He smiled, shook my hand, walked over to and opened the door then left me alone in my new office; closing the door behind him.

**[Chapter 2 - What Now?]**

_Set up? Set up? We were set up? _I said, to myself, as I stared out the window. _Of course it was a set up. How stupid of me. But why did I fall for that set up? Couldn't I see it was a trap? Was I just blindly following orders? Who in their right mind would go traipsing through a cave to find a missile base? No wonder he gave me a desk job. He doesn't need idiots out in the field. _

I pulled my phone out of my purse and called my friend Bob. When Bob answered the phone I blurted out, "Bob, I'm in London and I just found out we were set up and, and, and that cave mission was a trap. It was a trap, Bob, not an accident. It was a trap. I'm so upset I can't even think straight. I don't know what to do."

"Martha," said Bob, "I didn't get any of that, just calm down and go over it again."

I took a deep breath and slowly repeated what I said and he was quiet for a while.

"Bob?" I said, "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm just thinking."

I gazed out the window and waited for him to finish thinking. Off in the distance I could see the Thames River, Big Ben, the London Eye and so much more. I was mesmerized by the view.

"Martha," said Bob, "I'll investigate on this end. What can you do on your end?"

"I don't know what I can do." I said, unhappily, "He gave me a desk job."

"Oh dear."

"I know, right?"

"Do you have to take it?"

"What else can I do? Where else am I supposed to work? There's no way I could get a job in a regular police force or anywhere else for that matter."

"You never know, Martha, you might like the job."

"That's what my boss said."

"I don't know what else to tell you."

"I know, I know, I'm just upset. Maybe when I've calmed down a little I'll be able to think more clearly."

"Yeah, just take it easy and keep me posted."

"Alright, Bob, talk to you soon. Love you."

We rang off and I put the phone back in my purse. I walked over to the desk, climbed into the huge office chair and it swallowed me up. The desk was so big I could barely see over the top of it. I hopped out of the chair, jacked it up as high as it could go, climbed back into the chair, pulled myself up close to the desk and looked around. Everything you would expect to find on a desk was there; even a little thing with my name on it.

Mr. Pringle's executive assistant came into my office. Her name is June and I'd say she must be sixty-something. Normal sized people would consider her petite. Her short dark hair is streaked with gray, her eyes are blue and her features are small and delicate. She is very efficient and everybody on the top floor relies on her.

"Ms. Montgomery," she said, "welcome. I've brought you some items you will need: your company I.D., a company credit card and a new cellphone."

I said, "Thank you, ma'am" as I took the items out of her hand.

"May I have your other cellphone, please?"

"Certainly."

I pulled my phone out of my purse and handed it to her.

She turned around and left my office while saying, "Ms. Montgomery, I am here to assist. Do not hesitate to avail yourself of my expertise."

In the days following, I did indeed make use of her expertise many times.

**[Chapter 3 - The Command Team]**

When I arrived at the conference room at three o'clock, Mr. Pringle waved for me to come over and stand beside him which I did. Mr. Pringle is a man in his sixties. He has a bald head, green eyes, a long thin nose and his rather small chin and thin lips are surrounded by a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee. I am fond of Mr. Pringle and greatly respect him. He gave me a chance when nobody else would.

The conference room is the size of two offices and has a large picture window. There is a large round table in the middle of the room and a podium off to the side with a presentation board on the wall behind it; taking up the entire wall. Mr. Pringle and I were standing beside the podium and June was sitting at the table with four people I had never seen before. One of them (obviously the comedian of the group) said, "Is this 'bring your granddaughter to work day' Mr. P.?"

"Oliver." said Mr. Pringle, with a shake of his head.

"Sorry Mr. P."

"Everybody," said Mr. Pringle, tapping the podium with his pen, "I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our team."

Surprise was written all over their faces.

"This young lady has been one of our best agents for many years and she has racked up quite a long list of accomplishments. I believe she will be a great addition to our team. I'd like you to meet Miss. Amy Montgomery."

"Mr. P.," said Oliver, crossing his arms over his ample stomach, "are you sure you're not playing a joke on us? How could this little girl be an agent?"

"Indeed," said a middle-aged woman, regarding us over the glasses on the end of her nose, "she's just a little girl. It must be a joke."

"Bea," said Mr. Pringle, "I assure you it is not a joke."

"Mr. P.," said another man, "I don't get it."

"What don't you get, Stan?"

"I don't get the joke."

"It is not a joke."

I tugged on Mr. Pringle's sleeve. "Sir, don't worry about it." I said, "I'm used to this kind of thing."

"Very well, Miss. Montgomery," he said, "please take a seat."

"Yes sir."

I walked around the table and climbed into the seat next to Bea. She smiled at me and patted my hand.

"Whether you believe it or not," continued Mr. Pringle, "Miss. Montgomery is now a member of the Command Team. Nothing will be withheld from her. She will have your full support and cooperation. Is that clear?"

Heads nodded all around the table.

Stan grinned and winked at me then slid a wrapped piece of hard candy across the table. I mouthed "thank you" and ate the candy.

As Mr. Pringle went through his presentation, I noticed a man who looked like James Bond sitting next to June. He glanced at me and nodded and I nodded in return. I wondered who he was.

Mr. Pringle finished his presentation and left the room after a short group discussion. The other team members gave me a quick shake of the hand and left the room as well. None of them wanted to talk with me. I understood why. They probably still thought it was a joke. June rode up with me in the elevator and walked with me part of the way down the hall but stopped and went into her office while I continued on.

I looked out the window in my office and stared at the city. It occurred to me that I should probably watch my back even within the agency and firm. People you might think are on your side can find sneaky ways to get rid of you if they want to badly enough. I had experienced enough elementary school politics to know that.

I would like to be able to tell you that I jumped in and immersed myself in the world of finance right away but I can't. I logged onto a video website and watched cartoons instead. In my defense: I had just been released from the hospital, I was suffering from jetlag and I didn't know the first thing about finance. Besides, the cartoons were funny and I needed a good laugh.

Around five o'clock, Mr. Pringle poked his head into my office. He told me not to worry and everything would be fine, then left, closing the door behind him. I stared at the door and wondered: _What am I supposed to do now?_

A few minutes later I heard a knock so I hopped out of my chair and walked over to the door. When I opened the door, a tall slender young woman with long curly fiery-red hair, blue eyes and a pretty heart-shaped face with freckles on her nose and cheeks was standing in front of me. I asked, "May I help you?" She answered, "I'm Alice Darling and I'm your shadow."

**[Chapter 4 - Me and My Shadow]**

There is something I would like you to keep in mind as I'm telling you this story: Alice causes a sensation wherever she goes; heads turn, jaws drop, men walk into walls and doors, tires screech and so on… and Alice does not ever appear to even notice. I'm telling you this because it happens all the time and I don't want to keep repeating myself.

When we left the E. G. Pringle building, Alice took me to a restaurant a couple of blocks away. A hostess greeted and seated us then a waitress took our order. As we waited for our meal, Alice told me she worked in the building security department and Mr. Pringle asked her to be my bodyguard as an extra job. She received an increase in pay and a rent-free flat as part of the deal. She also mentioned she was training to be an agent. I wished her luck on becoming an agent and she thanked me.

We both ordered some kind of steak pie which Alice had recommended. While cutting into my pie, I said, "Alice, if you don't mind my saying, you don't seem like the bodyguard type."

Alice stopped her fork halfway to her mouth and looked at me with a curious expression on her face. "What," she said, "what exactly is the 'bodyguard' type?"

"Well, you know, thick and muscular, serious… kind of mean… intimidating… you know… like this..."

I made some motions with my arms like I was pumping up my muscles and tried to make my face look tough like the people on the cop shows I had seen.

"I see," said Alice, with a sigh and a shake of her head, "if it makes you feel any better, I have a black-belt in Karate and I'm an excellent marksman."

"That does make me feel better."

We quickly finished our delicious steak pies then ordered dessert. Alice recommended the tarts.

"Alice," I said, "I've never had a bodyguard before. What exactly is involved?"

"Well," she said, "I suppose I'll be looking for suspicious people lurking around corners or in alleys, you know, strange characters that seem out of place. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Let's see… let me think… I know… the MAD agents I've encountered wear the letters M, A, and D on their shirts."

"Do they really?"

"Oh yes, but, now that I think about it, they seem to be phasing that out."

"I'll keep a look out for people with MAD written on their shirts; anything else?"

"They drive vehicles with the MAD emblem painted on the side."

"You mean they advertise?"

"Something like that."

"I see; anything else?"

"Hmm… I'd say… MAD agents usually leer and snicker a lot."

"Leer and snicker? Do they say "come here little girl" and offer you candy?"

"Not the MAD agents I've run across. Although, I've had that happen, come to think of it, but it wasn't a MAD agent."

"Are you being totally serious?"

"Oh yes, I've had a lot of experience with MAD agents."

"I'll take your word for it."

Even though everything I had just said about MAD agents was true; when I said it out-loud, it sounded ridiculous. I felt a little embarrassed as I ate my dessert and hoped Alice didn't think I was crazy or putting her on.

After dinner, we walked a few blocks from the restaurant to the subway. We rode the subway for about fifteen minutes then disembarked and walked up some stairs to street level. From there, we walked two blocks to a tall redbrick building and went inside. We took the lift to the third floor, went down the hall to a door marked 3B and Alice unlocked the door. The door opened to reveal a very spacious and beautifully furnished apartment with lush carpet and fancy drapes across the far wall. "Come see your room." said Alice, leading me across the living room past a small kitchen to another door.

My bedroom had large floor-to-ceiling windows. The walls were a coral pink and the drapes, bedding and carpet were burgundy. The room was furnished with a queen-size canopy bed and a large bureau; both of them white. Alice opened the walk-in closet door while saying, "Your clothes arrived yesterday."

_Yesterday?_

"The cleaning woman unpacked them and put them away for you."

"That was thoughtful of her."

"I'll be in the living room if you need me"

"Okay."

She left me alone in my bedroom and the first thing I did was look in the closet. I was amazed when I saw all of the clothes; business attire mostly but some casual and formal wear as well. They made the slacks and blouse I had been wearing all that day look shabby. I went through all the clothes in the closet and bureau and everything was exactly the right size. I wondered: _Who did all this shopping for me? _The suitcase I brought with me was also in the closet. I didn't even bother to open it.

I grabbed some pajamas and a robe out of the bureau and went out to the living room. Alice was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

"Where's the bathroom?" I asked.

She answered, "Right there" and pointed at the door next to me.

"Is it okay if I take a bath?"

"Amy, this is your home. You can do as you please."

"Okay, thanks."

When I turned and opened the bathroom door, she called out, "There's some nice bubble-bath in there. Feel free to use it." I thanked her again and stepped inside. The bathroom was small but neat and clean and stocked with everything a girl could ever need.

I turned on the faucet in the tub then undressed and gazed at my childish face and body in the mirror. I wasn't looking too bad considering the fact that I had almost died a few weeks before. When I sunk down into the hot soapy water, I almost fell asleep in the tub.

Rousing myself from the bath, I dried off, put on the pajamas and robe and went out to the living room. I carried a hairbrush out from the bathroom and sat down on the sofa to brush my hair.

Alice came out of her bedroom wearing a gray t-shirt, gray sweatpants and gray socks. I felt a little envious when I saw her; having just viewed my own self in the mirror. She sat on the sofa next to me, took the brush out of my hand, said, "Let me do that for you" and began to brush my hair. I didn't see any reason to object.

"You remind me of my little sister."

"Little sister?"

"Yeah," said Alice, "my little sister Mary."

"How old is she?" I asked, cringing inside because I knew what was coming.

"Nine."

"Does she live around here?"

"Portsmouth."

"Oh, I've never been there."

"I'll take you there sometime."

"That sounds nice."

"You know, I think your hair would look lovely braided or in pigtails."

"Braided would be alright but not pigtails."

"You don't like pigtails?"

"I used to wear it that way but I don't want to anymore."

"Will you let me braid your hair tomorrow morning before we go to work? I used to do that for Mary."

"You must really miss your little sister."

Alice sighed.

I went to work the next day with my hair braided and full of flowers and ribbons.

**[Chapter 5 - The Top Floor]**

At seven-thirty the next morning, Alice and I left our apartment and made our way to the E. G. Pringle Investments building. I was wearing a gray blazer with a matching skirt; a white blouse with a red, white and blue striped tie and black ballet style flat shoes. The ribbons Alice tied in my hair were red, white and blue and the flowers were pink and red.

People were giving this little girl in the business suit odd looks as we were walking by and I tried very hard to keep a serious expression on my face but it wasn't easy. Earlier, when I put on that suit and looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help thinking it was a joke too.

Alice was wearing a slightly darker gray suit with slacks; a light blue blouse, a black tie and black oxford shoes. Her long beautiful red hair was tied back in a low ponytail and she looked terrific. Of course, she would look terrific in a burlap sack.

We entered the Pringle building, made our way over to the elevator and Alice said, "Amy, if you need me, just call; anytime, it doesn't matter, I'll drop whatever I'm doing." I thanked her and waved as the elevator door closed in front of me.

On the top floor, I propped open my office door. _I'm not going to hide in here. I don't care what anybody says. _I thought, as I went to my desk, climbed into my huge office chair and turned on the computer.

A few minutes later, I heard someone clear their throat and looked up to see James Bond leaning against my door.

"Hello."

The man nodded and said, "Are you that gung-ho you have to be the first one here?"

"I have a lot of catching up to do. Come in and have a seat."

He walked over to my desk and held out his hand. "I'm Fred Dalton, but you can call me Frank."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Dalton," I said, shaking his hand, "you can call me Amy."

"Are you sure you don't want me to call you Penny?"

"No, I don't want you to call me that." I frowned and narrowed my eyes. "How would you know about that anyway?"

"Why shouldn't I know?"

He made himself at home in a chair on the other side of my desk and crossed his legs.

"Have we met before?"

"We met twelve years ago."

"We did? Why don't I remember you?"

"Most people change in twelve years."

I sat back in my oversized chair, crossed my legs, tapped my hand with a pen and contemplated Frank's dark well-groomed hair, chiseled features and brown eyes then I sat up and pointed at him. "That skinny kid!" I said, excitedly, "I remember we were hired at the same time."

Frank laughed.

"You really have changed… you're…" I wanted to say hunky without actually using the word hunky. I knew the word I was looking for. It was on the tip of my tongue.

"And you haven't."

"That's true. Wait a minute, why didn't you say something yesterday at the meeting?"

"And spoil all the fun?"

"Sheesh, you're terrible. Is that how it's going to be around here?"

Frank laughed again.

Bea knocked on the door and asked, "May I come in?"

"Please do." I said, with a smile.

She nodded at Frank and sat in a chair next to him while saying, "You know, I really did think it was a joke."

"Does Mr. Pringle often pull practical jokes?"

"Not to my knowledge…"

"So…"

"…but how could you possibly be an agent?"

"I…"

"She doesn't age." Frank interjected.

"Doesn't age?" said Bea, "That must be nice."

_You think so? _I said, to myself.

"Every day I'm finding a new wrinkle on my face…"

_I see your point, but I'm sure most people would rather stop at twenty or thirty… not ten!_

"…and I have these extra pounds I can't seem to get rid of. I wish…"

"Bea?" I said, "May I call you Bea?"

"Of course." said Bea, as if she just noticed I was there.

"Bea, do you have a husband? Are you happily married?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

"I envy you."

"Oh dear, it seems I've stumbled onto a touchy subject."

"No, Bea, I'm sorry. I…"

"Hey, little miss!"

The three of us turned our heads toward the door when we heard Oliver's voice.

Oliver quickly moved over to me and shook my hand. "I've been thinking it over." he said, "If, in this age of equal opportunity, the boss wants to hire a little girl; who am I to stand in his way?"

I looked up at his fat face and beady eyes and said, "Um…"

At that moment, Stan came into my office followed by Mr. Pringle and June. I hopped out of my chair to greet them. The room was filled with loud chatter. Stan patted my head and handed me a piece of candy.

**[Chapter 6 - Reception]**

Later that same morning, I decided to take a walk around the building and meet the people working at the firm. I took the elevator down to the second floor and when I stepped out I noticed a wide open space with widows all around and desks everywhere. A very large woman came rushing up to me, saying loudly, "Hey, hey, hey, how did you get in here?"

I looked up at her and said, "I work here."

"Yeah, sure, pull the other one."

The whole room full of people stopped what they were doing and stared at us.

I showed the big woman my ID and she grabbed it out of my hand. "It looks real." she said, with suspicion on her face, "Do you mind if I scan this?"

I shrugged.

She lumbered over to a computer with my ID, swiped it through the card reader on the desk and all my fake information came up on the screen.

"You've got to be kidding." said the woman, "Are you really twenty five?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I hate people like you."

_What did I do now?"_

Someone yelled, "Penny Gadget?!"

The fat woman and I turned our heads toward the noise and saw a young man charging toward me with his hand outstretched. When he reached me, he shook my hand so roughly I thought he was going to pull my arm out of the socket.

"Penny Gadget," said the young man, enthusiastically, "you probably don't remember me. I met you a few years ago when you were here in London with Inspector Gadget. I remember it was such a thrill."

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else." I said, trying to dislodge my hand from his grip, "My name is Amy."

"You're not Penny Gadget?"

I shook my head.

"You're kidding. You could be her twin. You've got the same pretty face, the same pretty blue eyes, the same cute tiny body; your hair is different but I…"

"Teddy!" said the corpulent lady, "Get a hold of yourself. That's no way to talk to a superior."

"Superior?"

The woman tapped the computer screen. "Top floor, Teddy take a look."

He rushed over to the computer and read the information.

"Oh, heh, heh," he said, smiling sheepishly and blushing, "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"That's okay," I said, "but I'd kind of like to hear more about my pretty face and eyes."

"How about over lunch?"

"Okay."

Teddy is about six feet tall with a nice build. His full head of hair is dark and nicely styled. His brown eyes are bright and expressive and I really like his smile. His personality is a little wild and impetuous but fun. He seems like a nice guy.

Getting back to the story: The massive woman told me her name was Marge and suddenly became my best friend after she found out I had a top floor office. She led me around her department and introduced me to everyone. The general consensus was that a little girl couldn't be working for the firm and it must me a humorous prank.

The same scene played out in each department I visited and at least one person in each department asked me if I was Penny Gadget. I told them I was not Penny Gadget, but I wondered: _Was Penny Gadget really that well-known? Didn't the news of her death reach this side of the Atlantic? Is being recognized going to be a problem? What should I do?_

**[Chapter 7 - Round Hole, Square Peg]**

Alice and I went to lunch with Teddy and Tony. The waitress handed me a child's menu. My new friends chuckled as I handed the menu back to the waitress and asked for a regular menu. I ordered coffee and the waitress said, "No, no, no, you're much too young for coffee" which Teddy and Tony thought was hilarious. I showed the waitress my I.D. and assured her that I wasn't young; I just looked young. She skeptically studied my ID but brought me coffee anyway. After that, I just accepted the child's menu and didn't order coffee.

As days went by, I tried very hard to do my job but wasn't getting very much cooperation. If I went to a department head with a question, I was shuffled off to the lowest clerk and even they were condescending. They weren't mean about it or anything like that; they just wouldn't take me seriously. According to Alice, most of the people in the building thought I was probably Mr. Pringle's granddaughter and he was just humoring me.

Now, if you think I was having trouble with people face to face; you should have been there when I was trying to get something done over the phone. "Honey, put your Mommy on the phone" or "You got the wrong number kid" or "Susie, I told you not to call me at the office" were just a few of the comments I heard. I gave up talking to people on the phone unless I already knew them.

Some of the men at the office liked to tease me like big brothers tease their little sisters. Tony would call me 'midget' or 'short-stuff' or sing 'Tiny Dancer' whenever he saw me. Teddy would say, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" or "I found that 'My Little Pony' DVD you were looking for" or…you know… stuff like that. Frank even invited me to his daughter's tenth birthday party; I went and had fun but that's not the point. Yes, I know, they were just kidding around, but I was trying to be a serious adult.

On the other end of the spectrum, Mr. Pringle was the consummate professional and always treated me with dignity and respect. Even though he was very busy, he would spend time with me every day to talk things over and answer my questions. He was always considerate, never treated me like a child and made me feel like I was really an important part of the agency and firm.

You may be wondering how the investigation into the cave incident was progressing. The truth is: It wasn't progressing at all. As I told Mr. Pringle: The order came to me with all of the proper codes and passwords. The case had both me and Mr. Pringle baffled. We spent many hours trying to find some clue to the puzzle but had no luck at all.

Perhaps I should mention the state of my heath at that point in time. I was having both physical and mental issues relating to the cave incident; the mental issue being claustrophobia. Mr. Pringle insisted I see a doctor and a psychologist every week and that meant dragging Alice to some office somewhere and sitting in a waiting room together. I'm not sure how much all those doctor's visits helped me, but, on the plus side, Alice and I became very close friends.

That's a small snap-shot of my life those first few months in London. Living in the grown-up world was not what I was used to but I was willing to give it a go. Changing people's perception of me, though, seemed impossible. As it turns out, I wouldn't have to worry about it much longer.

**[Chapter 8 - Hit]**

_You haven't won, little girl._

_I'll hunt you down and kill you._

_I'll kill you, little girl. _

_I'll hunt you down and kill you._

I was accustomed to hearing those words in my dreams so I didn't give it much thought until I discovered I was unable to move and felt strange things attached to my torso and limbs as well as intense pain all over my body.

"Where am I?" I murmured, without opening my eyes.

"You're in the hospital, sweetie." said a voice that sounded like my grandmother.

"The hospital?"

I opened my eyes and saw an elderly lady in a nurse's uniform looking down at me and smiling. Her face reminded me of my grandmother too.

"Why am I here?"

"You were run over." said the nurse.

"I was? I don't remember that."

"Your head was hurt so you probably forgot."

"I think there's a little more to it than that. I can't seem to move."

"Let's just say you were hurt very badly."

"Please give me the details, ma'am. I'm not a child."

"Of course not, my dear, I apologize." She picked up a clipboard and read, "Multiple fractures in both legs, the right arm, ribs and vertebrae." She looked up from the clipboard. "Would you like me to explain what multiple fractures means?"

"I know what multiple fractures means." I snapped.

"How very clever of you."

I sighed and stared at the ceiling while she fussed over me. Something was nagging at my brain. It suddenly hit me. "Wait a minute," I said, "where's Alice?"

"I'm right here." said Alice.

I turned my head and saw Alice lying in the bed next to mine.

"Did you get hit too?" I asked.

"'fraid so."

"Are you okay?"

"A broken leg and a broken arm."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

At that moment, Mr. Pringle walked into the room followed by Bob. Both men pulled up a chair and sat near my bed. Bob had flown into London that afternoon and I had been expecting to have dinner with him that evening.

I said, "Hey Bob" as I gave Mr. Pringle a little wave.

Bob said, "Hey, Martha, how are you feeling?"

"Terrible."

"You look terrible."

"Thanks Bob."

"Martha, we've got to stop meeting like this."

"I know, right?"

Alice asked, "Isn't he Inspector Gadget?"

"Why yes I am." said Bob, with a smile, "I guess I'm even famous over here."

"Bob," I said, "this is my good friend Alice. Alice, this is Bob."

Bob extended his arm across my bed and shook her hand which startled her a little bit. It startled the nurse as well and she gave out a little scream.

Alice looked at me, wide-eyed, and asked, as Bob's arm recoiled back into his sleeve, "Is he the Bob we were going to meet for dinner?"

"Yeah." I said.

"Interesting."

I noticed the nurse patting her chest and fanning her shocked face with her hands.

"Bob," I said, "have you met Mr. Pringle?"

"We just met." said Bob.

"Did he tell you who he was?"

"Yes," said Mr. Pringle, "we had an interesting conversation while we were waiting for you to awaken."

Bob nodded in agreement.

"I see." I said, wondering what it was they talked about.

The nurse left the room.

"Someone found out where you were." said Mr. Pringle. "I know this sounds obvious but there must be a traitor in the agency somewhere."

"Sir," I said, hesitantly, "I've been meaning to tell you, some people at the office recognized me as Penny Gadget."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought I just had to deny it. I'm sorry."

I was wishing I could crawl under the bed.

Mr. Pringle crossed his arms and said, angrily, "I wonder how many people recognized you." He turned toward Alice. "Miss. Darling, did you recognize her as Penny Gadget?"

"I don't even know who Penny Gadget is." said Alice, "Is she inspector Gadget's daughter?"

"She's my niece." said Bob.

"Does Amy look like her?"

"Amy is her. Yes, I know it was just a part she was playing but it was real to me."

When I heard that comment I felt horrible and I was already feeling pretty darn horrible as it was. I grabbed a pillow with my good arm and put it over my face.

From under the pillow, I heard Mr. Pringle say, "I really thought you would be safe at the home office and I wanted to be sure after that cave fiasco."

"I'm sorry, sir." said Alice, "I messed up."

"Don't blame yourself, Miss. Darling, the van just swerved into you without warning. There's no way anyone could have reacted in time."

"Did they catch the perp?"

"No, they found the van but the culprit got away."

"What are we going to do now?" I asked, removing the pillow from my face and dropping it on the floor.

"We want them to think they succeeded. You will have go into hiding. I'm afraid your Command Team days are over and that's too bad. I really thought it was working out."

"Mr. P.?" said Alice, "May I go with her?"

"No, Miss. Darling, I need you to stay here and help me sell Miss. Montgomery's demise."

"Are you really going to do that?" asked Bob.

"Oh?" said Mr. Pringle, raising his eyebrows, "Do you have an objection?"

"You killed Penny and that didn't work."

"It was working just fine until you chanced to meet."

"Dr. Claw wasn't fooled and neither was I."

Mr. Pringle stood up, walked over to the widow and looked outside.

"Okay, Inspector Gadget," he said, "do you have another suggestion?"

"I'll take care of her." said Bob.

"I see, you'll take care of her." said Mr. Pringle, turning around and looking at Bob, "But, you know, she will still need a new identity and she will still need to go someplace Dr. Claw won't think to look for her. I refuse to let her go to Metro City; that would be the first place he would look."

"I… I'll take some time off and go wherever she goes. I'll watch out for her and protect her. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Won't that make Dr. Claw suspicious?"

"I'll wear a disguise."

Mr. Pringle walked across the room to the door and put his hand on the knob. He paused for a few seconds then turned around and said, "Come to my office tomorrow morning and we'll discuss it further."

"I'll be happy to do that." said Bob.

"Ladies," said Mr. Pringle, "I'll be back soon to let you know our plans."

We said goodbye and he left the room. I was a little upset because these two men were deciding my fate and I didn't seem to have any say in the matter. I looked at Alice and she was staring at the ceiling with tears in her eyes. I looked at Bob and he was staring at the floor and grinding his teeth.

"Bob," I asked, "what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find out who did this." said Bob, pounding his fist on the arm of his chair, "It makes me angry to see you in a hospital bed again. I mean, it really ticks me off!"

"I'm sorry Bob."

"What are you sorry for?"

"It's my fault."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not being ridiculous."

"Yes you are."

"But…"

"You think your angry." said Alice, with a quiver in her voice, "I was supposed to be guarding her and I failed. I failed miserably."

"But Alice…"

"You know it's true."

"But…"

"I understand." said Bob, "I had those same feelings a few months ago."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I should have escorted you out of that cave right after I pulled you out of the pit."

"But Bob…"

We were interrupted when the nurse burst into the room carrying a tray and singing, "Sweetie, time for din-din." She sat down next to my bed and fed me like a baby.

**[Chapter 9 - Sun, Sand, Sea, Solace]**

In the middle of a moonless night, I said goodbye to Alice, Bob and Mr. Pringle. Alice and I hugged as best we could with casts on our arms and our wheelchairs between us. Her eyes were wet and so were mine. I told her I hoped we would see each other again and she said the same thing to me.

I hugged and kissed Bob and shook Mr. Pringle by the hand. I was wheeled onto a lift and loaded into a van. A driver named Mike and a nurse named Jane got into the van with me. I waved to Alice, Bob and Mr. Pringle as the van moved away and they waved back. I stared out the window until I couldn't see them anymore. Jane wiped the tears off of my face with a tissue.

Mr. Pringle told me we had to keep everything a secret until he identified the traitor. I wasn't so sure there was a traitor but I understood what he was thinking. I was sad because I had to leave without saying goodbye to everyone at the office and all of them would think I was dead.

Mike drove from London to Calais (through the Chunnel) then stopped at a hospital somewhere in the city. I was moved into another van and after they got me situated, a man named Pierre stepped on the gas and headed toward Marseille. At that moment, I became Simone, a little French girl, ten years old.

A French nurse named Jeanne kept me company and monitored my physical condition as we made our way to the south of France. It was a long trip and I was uncomfortable and in pain, but I tried not to complain… too much. Pierre told me some funny stories which made me laugh and helped me get my mind adjusted to speaking French.

The next morning, we arrived at a small house in Marseille near the Mediterranean Sea. The house belonged to Alphonse, Corrine and Josette. Alphonse is a fisherman, Corrine is a nurse and Josette is their ten year old daughter. Pierre and Jeanne left me with my new family and I began the long process of recuperation and physical therapy.

Alphonse is a big rugged man who would probably give people heart-attacks if he hung around dark alleys. He's actually very nice. I hardly ever saw him. I believe he spent most of his time on his boat. Corrine is short and plump with pleasant features and long dark hair she always keeps tied up in a bun. Josette is a smaller version of her mother but wears her hair in a ponytail. They are wonderful people. They fussed over me constantly. They helped me heal in both my mind and my body. I grew to love them very quickly.

When the weather was nice, Corrine and Josette would push me around the streets of Marseille in my wheelchair. Sometimes I would see Bob. I would see him sitting at a café reading a newspaper with a fake mustache (Bob had the mustache, not the newspaper). I would see him dressed as a clown running a carousel. I even saw him on a street corner dressed as a mime (I just about fell out of my wheelchair laughing). Most of the time he was dressed like an ordinary person (he ditched the trench-coat but wouldn't give up his hat). As we passed by, he would say, "Bonjour" (probably the only French word he knows) and we would respond in kind. Unfortunately, I had to pretend I didn't know him, but it was nice to know he was there.

Sometimes Corrine and Josette would take me to the seashore near their home. I would sit in my wheelchair and look out at the Mediterranean Sea. Josette would say, "Simone, when you can walk again, we'll swim together, build sand-castles and play." I would always tell her I couldn't wait to do that. Little girls like Josette are the people I am most comfortable with even though I am technically an adult. I wondered what she would think if she knew, but, then again, I've wondered that same thing in every classroom.

My physical therapy was hard and sometimes the pain was unbearable but with a lot of love and encouragement from Corrine and Josette, I made steady progress.

My doctor was surprised when my bones healed so well. I'm sure he thought I was going to be crippled. When I was able to walk with only a slight limp and an occasional twinge of pain, everyone thought it was miraculous.

I attended school with Josette because I had to stay in hiding until I heard something from the agency. School wasn't a problem because I speak French fluently. There was the usual excitement when a new student arrived but it wasn't long before I fit right in and settled into my new life. Everybody knew me as little Simone (you know you're little when ten year olds call you little). My life was so nice and peaceful, I almost forgot about London and my past. It was a dreamlike existence and I suppose I got a little careless. There were thousands of little girls in Marseille and I was just one of them. I never imagined anyone would find me there… I was wrong.

**[Chapter 10 - Cue the Ominous Music]**

School had been fun that day. I ran around and played during physical education and my body really felt good. I remember I stayed late for a student government meeting and had to walk home alone. It wasn't far, only about a half a mile through town. I was skipping along carefree when I was grabbed and dragged into an alley then tied up and gagged.

"Hello, Penny Gadget," said the gruff booming voice of Dr. Claw, "we meet again."

I looked up and saw a little man dressed up like an old time movie gangster with a fedora pulled down over his forehead shading his eyes. Two large men in pin-striped suits and fedoras were standing on either side of me.

"You're a hard little girl to kill," said Dr. Claw, menacingly, "but _this_ time I'm going to make sure."

He pulled a big gun out of his coat and pointed it at me. "You can thank Gadget for hovering over you like a mother hen. Otherwise I would never have found you. No, wait, you won't be able to thank him, you'll be dead."

He let loose with a torrent of maniacal laughter.

The men on either side of me snickered.

I struggled with the rope and tried to scream through the gag in my mouth.

Dr. Claw cupped a hand behind his ear, "What's that you say? Speak up." More laughter ensued. "What's the matter, little girl, cat got your tongue?"

I didn't think it was funny.

"Enough frivolity," he said, aiming the gun at my head, "goodbye, Penny Gadget."

"Hey Boss," said the man on my left, "ya really gonna kill dis little girl?"

Dr. Claw lowered his gun and said, "Huh?"

"Yeah," said the man on my right, "killin' little girls is messed up."

"Don't you know who this little girl is? It's Gadget's niece."

"Yeah? I got nieces and day don't get arrested 'cause I'm a criminal."

"Yeah," said the man on my left, "what he said."

"Are you idiots?" yelled Dr. Claw, "It's Gadget's niece! Gadget's niece! She's been thwarting my schemes for over ten years now."

"What you sayin'? She was doin' dat when she was a baby?"

"No, no, you got it all wrong. She's not what she appears to be. She's… she's… at least twenty-something."

"I know twenty-somethin' and dat's not twenty-somethin'."

"Listen," said Dr. Claw, clearly exasperated, "she may not look like it, but she is. Do you remember the volcano island scheme, the sleeping gas scheme, the gold clock scheme and all those other schemes that got screwed up; do you remember? Well, do you?" He waved his gun at me. "She's the one responsible. She's the one responsible!"

"Nah, nah, dat was Gadget what messed those up."

"Yeah," said the man on my right, "dat was Gadget."

"Idiots," yelled Dr. Claw, "it wasn't Gadget, it was her. It was her!"

"I think ya had one too many, Boss."

"Yeah," said the man on my left, "dare's somethin' wrong wit your head."

"You dare talk to me that way?!" Dr. Claw screamed, "I'll deal with you later! Stay out of my way!"

He narrowed his eyes and aimed the big gun at my head.

I watched in horror as his finger moved on the trigger.

Suddenly, two gloved hands attached to two long snake-like arms came down from above, grabbed him under his arms and pulled him upwards.

Dr. Claw gave out a startle yell, "What?! No!" then flailed in the air and fired his gun wildly; bullets were pinging off the walls. "Kill the girl! Kill the girl!" he screamed, as he was carried off into the sky.

The man on my right gazed up into the sky and mumbled, "I knew it was Gadget what done it."

The man on my left untied me and took the gag out of my mouth while saying, "Sorry Miss., we tink da boss has gone screwy."

"Yeah," said the other man, "don tell nobody nothin' 'bout dis."

They left me alone in the alley.

I sat on the ground until my heart-rate went down and I could breathe normally then I walked home.

**[Chapter 11 - Bitter Tears]**

The encounter with Dr. Claw shook me to the core and it took all my skills as an actress to pretend like nothing happened. When I arrived at home, I changed into some shorts and a t-shirt then grabbed Josette and ran to a nearby playground. I swung on the swings as fast and as high as I could go just trying to release all of the tension. Some other children showed up and we played tag until I exhausted myself.

At home, we ate the usual family meal, said the usual things and Josette and I cleaned up the dishes in the usual way. I took a bath, did some homework, played a game with Josette then said goodnight and went to bed just like I did every night. I slept fairly well (except for a few bad dreams) and woke up refreshed and ready for another day.

I made it through school alright; though I kept seeing MAD agents in every shadow. I was on edge but had to pretend everything was okay. When Josette and I walked home from school together, we talked and joked and giggled just like we did every day.

Corrine was waiting for us by the front door of the house.

"Simone," she said, "I received a call from your grandfather."

"Grandfather Pierre?" I said.

"Yes, he's coming tomorrow morning to take you to his home in Calais."

"No!" yelled Josette, stomping her feet, "She can't leave!"

Corrine and I were startled by the outburst.

"Josette," said Corrine, "you knew she was only going to be here until she was healthy again."

Josette screamed, "It's not fair!" and ran off down the street.

I looked at Corrine and she looked at me.

"I'd better go talk to her." I said.

"Yes," said Corrine, "I think that would be a good idea."

Running as fast as I could down the street, I caught up with Josette at the playground. She was sitting on the ground crying with her head in her arms. I stopped running at the entrance to the playground, took a deep breath, then calmly walked up behind her and said her name.

"Why did you follow me, Simone?" she said, bitterly. "Go home to Calais and forget about me."

"What are you saying?"

"You're going away. I'll never see you again. You'll meet new friends and forget about me. I know you will."

"That's not true. Why would you say that?"

"I've heard what the other girls say; you just pretend to be my friend because you feel sorry for me."

"Don't listen to them; they don't know what they're talking about."

"Why would you be my friend?" Josette whined, "Why would you want to be with me? You're pretty and smart and everything I'm not. I've only been fooling myself."

"Who are you?" I said, angrily. "Where is the real Josette? What have you done with her? Where is the Josette who took care of me when I couldn't take care of myself? Where is the Josette who would get up at all hours and go without sleep just to make sure I had everything I needed? Where is the Josette who was always smiling and encouraging me when I wanted to give up? I don't know this new Josette. This Josette who feels sorry for herself, says mean things and doesn't trust her friends. Maybe I should forget about her."

I turned around and began to walk home. _What is wrong with me? Why was I yelling at her? _I said, to myself, as I walked away.

"Simone," Josette whimpered, "will you always be my friend? Will you really?"

I stopped, turned around again and said, "Of course I will."

"Forever and ever?"

"Forever and ever, I promise."

Josette stood up and walked over to me with her head down and tears flowing out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Simone." she sobbed.

"Josette," I said, "did you think pushing me away would make it hurt less? Don't you know I'm hurting too? I don't want to leave but I have to. So tell me, which Josette do you want me to remember?"

She pointed at herself. "This Josette," she said, "the Josette who loves Simone."

"Then that's the Josette I will remember… always.

We hugged and cried together and I apologized for yelling at her.

As we walked home hand-in-hand, Josette was still weeping softly and I felt horrible. My heart was aching. I knew very well Simone would cease to exist and I would probably never see Josette again.

**[Chapter 12 - Flight]**

Pierre pulled up in front of the house in a small French car. I ran out the front door and hugged him when I saw him walking up the path. "Grandfather Pierre." I said, with a giggle, "Grandfather Pierre."

"Simone," he said, "it's wonderful to see you again."

Pierre is the typical caricature of a little old man; gray hair, bushy gray mustache and eyebrows; baggy pants and baggy shirt with a sweater and a floppy hat. He's a gentle and kind man and I got to know him fairly well when he brought me from Calais to Marseille months earlier.

We held hands and walked together toward the house. Alphonse, Corrine and Josette were waiting by the door. "I want to thank you." said Pierre, "You've taken such good care of Simone. It does my heart good to see her so healthy and happy."

"She's been a blessing to this house, sir." said Corrine, "She's just the sweetest little girl. She made our job easy and we're sorry to see her go."

Alphonse carried my suitcase out to the car and Pierre followed him. I hugged Corrine and Josette and we cried together. I really hated leaving. Living there had been like heaven on earth. The idea of going back to London scared me but I didn't have a choice. I couldn't stay in Marseille without the support of the agency.

After a long tearful goodbye, I climbed into the passenger seat of Pierre's car. Pierre got into the driver's seat and we began what I thought was going to be the long drive from Marseille to Calais.

"Pierre," I said, "are we going to Calais?"

"No," he said, "we're not going to Calais."

"We're not?"

"No."

"Where are we going?"

"Milan."

_Milan? Isn't that in the wrong direction? _

"Just sit back and relax," said Pierre, "this will take about five hours."

"Why are we going to Milan?"

"I was told to take you there."

"Why?"

"You're catching a flight at the Milan airport; that's all I know."

"Okay, I understand." I pulled a book out of my purse and showed him the title. "I'll just read this. It's really good."

"The Count of Monte Cristo? Isn't that advanced for a girl your age?"

"Is it?"

"I don't think I read that until high school."

"Oh."

Pierre put oldies music on the radio while I read my book. When I wasn't reading, he told me some more funny stories. We stopped twice along the way so we could stretch our legs. It's amazing how long five hours can seem. When we arrived in Milan, we went to a restaurant to get some lunch. As we ate our lunch, Pierre told me about his wife and children and grandchildren in the city of Dijon. I giggled when he told me the name of the city and he asked, "What is funny, Simone?"

"When you said Dijon I thought about mustard. You know, pardon me sir…"

Pierre chuckled.

After lunch, we went to the airport in Milan. At the counter of a certain airline, we found a ticket waiting for me. I said goodbye to Pierre and shook his hand then boarded a plane going to Miami.

The flight took about nine hours. The encounter with Dr. Claw was still fresh in my mind and I was seeing MAD agents everywhere. The plane was full of them. The sneering face of Dr. Claw would come into my mind and I would hear him say, "I'll get you, Penny Gadget. You can't escape." Then he would laugh that maniacal laugh of his. It ran through my head like a bad song.

I was also missing my family in Marseille and feeling very intense heart-ache.

Because I was a little girl flying alone, the flight attendants took extra special care of me. There was an elderly lady who spoke French in a seat nearby so the gentleman who was next to me switched seats with her. She told me all about her grandchildren when she wasn't sleeping. I tried to read my book but had a hard time focusing. I was worried about who or what was waiting for me in Miami.

**[Chapter 13 - Reunited]**

I saw her coming toward me as I was making my way through the Miami airport terminal. I was so thrilled, I ran to her and threw my arms around her while babbling excitedly, "Alice, I'm so happy to see you. I'm so happy you're here. I was afraid I would be all alone. I didn't know what I was going to do. Now that you're here, I know everything is going to be okay. I'm so happy to see you."

"Amy," said Alice, with a laugh, "it would help if you spoke English. I didn't understand a word you said."

I looked up at her pretty face and said, in English, "I missed you."

"It took all those words to say I missed you?" she said, laughing even more.

I giggled and hugged her tightly.

Alice rubbed my back and whispered, "I missed you too."

I sighed.

We walked through the airport, picked up my suitcase in the baggage pickup area, found Alice's rental car in the garage then Alice drove out of the garage and onto the street. We talked about how nice it was to be together again and how happy we were to see that we were both so healthy. My mind was still thinking in French and I was trying to adjust to English so I alternated between the languages. I apologized to Alice but she just said, "I don't mind. I think it's cute."

It was late at night but there was still a lot of traffic on the road and it seemed like we were catching every red light. I wondered where we were going and how long it was going to take to get there.

"I'm an agent now." said Alice.

"Really?" I said.

"That's what I've been doing since the last time I saw you. I've been finishing my training."

"That's great news. I'm so happy for you."

"I just hope I'm a better agent than I was a bodyguard."

"Oh, Alice, don't say that. You were a terrific bodyguard."

Alice smirked.

"But you were."

Alice shook her head.

"Come on, look at it this way." I insisted, "Because you were with me, whoever it was that was out to get me couldn't come after me in conventional ways, such as: strangling or stabbing or shooting. They had to do something crazy, outrageous, you know, something…"

"Running us over with a van is not all that unconventional… or outrageous."

"Well…" I said, crossing my arms and pouting, "It was the only way to do it because I had such a great bodyguard and that's the truth."

"You're such a sweet kid," said Alice, with a sad look on her face, "but I can still see you crumpled up on that sidewalk broken in pieces. I don't know if I'll ever get over it."

A tear ran down her cheek.

As you can probably tell, it was not the first time we had that conversation. I knew I wouldn't change her mind but I thought it was worth a try. I worried about Alice quite a bit while I was in Marseille and was happy to see she hadn't given up on her dream because of me.

"Alice," I said, "what are we doing here?"

"Oh," she said, "we're going to be working together."

"Here in Miami?"

"No, actually we're going to be on a Caribbean island working with a detective named Mitch Spencer. According to our cover story, we are a couple of girls from Ohio visiting our Uncle Mitch, Aunt Heather and our cousin Becky."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm Alice Spencer and you're Jennifer Spencer."

"I guess that means we're sisters."

"That's exactly what that means."

"Awesome."

As Alice parked the car in the hotel parking lot, I wondered how a young woman from Portsmouth, England and a girl who sounded like she was from France would convince anyone they were from Ohio.

Inside our hotel room, I plopped down on my back on the bed and felt like I could go to sleep right away. I couldn't go to sleep right away because there was something I needed to do.

"Alice," I said, rising up on my elbows, "I need to contact Mr. Pringle."

"No problem," she said, sitting in a chair and opening her purse, "I've got our phones right here with me. Is there something important you need to tell him?"

"Yeah, Dr. Claw tried to kill me in Marseille."

"What?!"

I told Alice about my encounter with Dr. Claw and she became so upset she feverishly punched her phone with her finger. I was worried she would either break the phone or her finger.

"I knew I should have gone with you." she said, angrily.

"But you don't speak French." I said, trying to be reasonable.

"You didn't have to go to France. There are plenty of places in England you could have gone."

"But if you had gone with me, you probably wouldn't be an agent right now."

"That's not necessarily true." said Alice, rising from her chair and walking to the door. "But let's not argue. Are you hungry? Let's go get something to eat."

"I am hungry." I said, climbing off of the bed. "Where are we going to eat at this time of night?"

"There's an all-night diner next to the hotel."

At the diner, I ordered waffles and a glass of milk and Alice ordered bacon, eggs and toast with coffee. As soon as our food was brought to the table, Alice's phone beeped. She pulled it out of her purse and looked at the screen.

"It's a message from Mr. P." she said. "I need to decode it."

I nodded but kept eating. My eyes were getting heavy.

"Okay, got it." Alice looked up from her phone. "Amy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"You look exhausted."

"Yeah, I am tired, but I want to hear what Mr. Pringle said."

"Okay… here goes… I. G. told me all. Good to hear Miss. P. arrived safely. Miss. P...?"

"Pettigrew."

"Oh… Good luck. Take care. Keep in touch."

"I wonder what Bob told him." I mumbled, with my mouth full.

"Well," said Alice, "between Inspector Gadget and my message, I'm sure he got a clear picture."

"Yeah… probably."

"I'm just glad he got you out of there."

"Yeah, me too." I lied. I wasn't happy at all about leaving Marseille.

It had been a long day and I was starting to nod off but I still managed to finish my waffles and milk and stumble back to the room. I barely remember brushing my teeth and changing into pajamas before crawling into bed and falling fast asleep.

**[Chapter 14 - Island Girls]**

Alice woke me at ten o'clock the next morning and told me to get moving because we had to fly to Puerto Rico that afternoon. I stumbled bleary-eyed out of the bed and into the bathroom to get ready.

We had breakfast at the same diner we ate at the night before. I ordered more waffles but with coffee instead of milk. The waitress didn't say anything about me having coffee. I guess she didn't care.

"There's something we have to do before we go to the airport." said Alice, as she buttered her toast.

I said something like, "eauum?" with my mouth full of waffle.

"We have to go to a salon and have your hair cut short."

I almost choked on the waffle.

"We have to change your appearance."

I swallowed the waffle, patted my chest then took a big gulp of coffee.

"I just know I'm going to cry when I see all that long beautiful hair cut off."

"C'est la vie." I said, with a shrug.

Alice shook her head, smirked and rolled her eyes.

I felt someone tap my shoulder and turned around to see a young boy of about eight standing next to me. I also noticed a group of adults at a nearby table smiling at us with that 'aren't they so cute' smile; you know what I mean. I found out later they were his father and mother and some friends.

"Hello," said the boy, "I'm Jake. Who are you?"

"Simone."

"You're pretty."

"Merci."

"Merci? What is Merci?"

"It's a French word that means thank you."

"Why?"

I began to explain but stopped because he wasn't listening.

He was pointing at Alice and asking, "Is she your mother?"

"No," I said, "she's Alice."

"She's pretty too."

"She sure is."

"Would you like to sit with us?" asked Alice, with a smile.

"Can I?" said the boy, excitedly.

"Maybe you should ask your mother first."

The boy ran off then came back quickly with food and drink. He sat next to me and talked my ear off while we finished our breakfast.

This was not an unusual occurrence for me. You see, I'm used to getting attention from young boys. I know I sound like I'm bragging when I say this, but Josette was not the only one I left heart-broken in Marseille.

After we finished our meal, Jake led us over to another table to meet his family. We chatted with them for a while then said goodbye and left the diner. On our way across the parking lot to our hotel room, Alice reminded me again that my name was Jennifer and not Simone. I repeated the name over and over to myself as we packed up our things and checked out of the hotel.

At a nearby salon, I had my hair cut into a short bob. The stylist asked me if I wanted to donate my hair to a cancer patient and I said, "Of course." After the stylist was finished with me, Alice pulled a pair of glasses out of her purse and put them on my face.

"This completes the look." she said. "Now you need to work on your accent. We're supposed to be American girls."

"But I am an American girl."

"You sound like a French girl."

"Right, I'll work on it."

"Yeah, I'm still working on it myself."

"You don't sound like a French girl."

"You know what I mean, silly." said Alice, with a smirk.

I giggled.

We left the salon then went to the Miami airport and caught a flight to Puerto Rico. From there, we boarded a small propeller plane which took us to our island destination. Flying low over a huge expanse of water with no land in sight was amazing and a little scary. It reminded me of my trip with Bob and Brain to Africa but this time the plane stayed in one piece.

Mitch, Heather and Becky Spencer were waiting for us at the airport when we arrived on the island. We were greeted with hugs because we were supposed to be related.

Mitch is a rugged outdoors kind of guy with a square jaw, blue eyes and blond hair cut short in a military style. He is a good-natured fellow; loud and boisterous and everybody's friend. Heather is a tall and elegant brunette with pretty brown eyes; soft-spoken, quiet and very sweet. Becky is a cute little ten year old girl with blond hair she keeps tied up in pigtails; which seemed familiar to me for some reason.

We all climbed into a Jeep and Mitch drove us around the island to the port area where we saw cruise ships docked and sailboats in the harbor. We rode up a steep hill through a wooded area and he pulled into the driveway of a three bedroom house. The house was brown and green and seemed camouflaged among the trees. The front yard was severely sloped but the backyard was large and flat and suitable for playing games and having fun. Alice had her own room and I shared a room with Becky.

Becky and I went to the same school and were in the same class (yes, I had to go to school again). Our route to school every day took us through the shopping district near the port. The mornings were quiet with very few people around. In the afternoon the place was jam-packed with tourists. All of the girls from our neighborhood walked to and from school together (the boys walked in their own group); if you know anything about young girls, I'm sure you can picture what it must have been like.

Whenever I was asked about my French accent I just said, "I picked up the accent when I lived in France." My school-friends thought that was fascinating and wanted me to tell them all about living in France. I told them about my two years in Paris rather than my time in Marseille; sans the spy-stuff, of course.

The island was full of fun things to do: swimming, snorkeling, sailing, hiking or just taking in the beautiful scenery. It was paradise, but, I suppose there's got to be some kind of trouble everywhere you go, at least, everywhere I go anyway.

**[Chapter 15 - A Mad, Mad, Mad World]**

One afternoon, I was walking home from school with all of the girls when I saw Teddy. He was standing on the sidewalk in the shopping district wearing tan shorts, sandals and a flowered shirt. I almost ran over to say hi but stopped when I saw he was with someone. That 'someone' sent chills up and down my spine. Get this: Teddy was standing and talking with Dr. Claw. I wondered: _What's up with that? Does he have a 'get out of jail free' card or something? _

I watched Teddy and Dr. Claw get into a van. The van had the MAD emblem painted on the side. Teddy waved to all the girls out of the passenger side window as the van moved away. My heart sank and tears came to my eyes when I realized Teddy must be working for Dr. Claw.

All of our friends wanted to come over to our house and play. Heather brought out a pitcher of ice tea and a plate of cookies and put them on the picnic table in the backyard when we arrived. We had a lot of fun playing games and jumping rope while I tried to put what I saw that afternoon out of my mind.

Later that evening, I talked with Alice and Mitch about Teddy and Dr. Claw. Alice wanted to find Teddy and wring his neck but cooler heads prevailed. We needed to find out what MAD was up to. We couldn't just concern ourselves with Teddy. If I saw him again, I was under strict orders not to follow him. I could only report when and where I saw him. That made me feel restricted and upset me even more than I already was. Of course I understood the situation. If Dr. Claw knew I was there he would kill me.

"Wait a minute." I said, hopefully, "What if Teddy is working undercover?"

"If he is," said Alice, "we don't know about it. I'll send a message to Mr. P."

When we received a message from the home office saying Teddy had left the agency I became very depressed. _He pretended to be my friend while he was plotting to kill me,_ was what I was thinking. I couldn't believe someone could be so two-faced. In all my career, the bad-guys and good-guys had been cut and dried, clearly marked and easily seen. Actually, I knew that wasn't true. There were plenty of times the bad guys pretended to be Bob's friends but it was the first time I could remember it happening to me. I went to my room, sat on my bed, put my hands over my face and cried.

Alice and Becky came into the room and tried to cheer me up.

"Alice, aren't you upset?" I whimpered, "Teddy tried to kill you too."

"Yes, I am upset," she said, "but we don't know if he was driving the van or not. You really shouldn't assume it was him just because he's here with Dr. Claw."

"Yeah, I guess so… but he's still a lying two-faced son of a…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Becky.

"A lying two-faced son of a…"

"Someone we used to know." said Alice. "We thought he was our friend."

"Oh, I see, you found out he was bad and that's why Jenny's crying."

"Yeah, that's right."

"You must have really liked him."

"Yeah, we did." said Alice, with a sigh, "He sure had us fooled."

Alice, Mitch, and Heather followed us to and from school every day after I reported seeing Teddy with Dr. Claw. Actually, followed is not the right word; posted along the route is better and they would position themselves in different places every day. Becky and I would play a game of 'who can find them first' as we made our way to and from school. We couldn't point at them so we had to come up with some secret signals to show when we spotted one of them. One time, Mitch hid on the side of a hill and watched us through his binoculars. We told him he cheated but he just laughed.

A few days later, I saw Teddy standing in front of a shop in the middle of the shopping district as we passed by on our way home from school. It was a typical souvenir shop frequented by tourists. I looked up at the sign above the shop and couldn't believe my eyes. The shop was called "MAD gifts" and there was a little picture of Madcat on the bottom right-hand corner of the sign. I wanted to go inside and see what they were doing but I knew I had to leave that to somebody else. It was frustrating, to say the least.

Teddy said, "Hello girls" as we walked by and I heard giggling all around me. He is a handsome guy so it didn't surprise me. He was wearing the same type of outfit he wore when I saw him with Dr. Claw, but this time I noticed the MAD logo embroidered on the front of his flowered shirt. I kept from making eye contact with him and didn't turn around to look until we were some distance away because I didn't want to take any chances. I reported the incident when I got home and Mitch and Alice went out that night to investigate. I wanted to go too, but I had to do my homework and be in bed by nine. Sure, we were in bed by nine, but Becky and I would talk and giggle until Heather came in to shush us.

Teddy was standing by the same shop the next day with Monsieur La Dip of all people. La Dip was wearing shorts and a flowered shirt with the MAD logo on it as well. It must have been a uniform.

Teddy greeted us again with a smile and a laugh but La Dip just ignored us. If they noticed me they weren't letting on. Now I had something else to report. Things were getting interesting.

The same two men were standing by that same shop the following afternoon. The girls wanted to stop and talk to Teddy so I loitered around the back of the group and tried to look inconspicuous. Teddy greeted us in his usual friendly way. La Dip asked Teddy, "Why do you keep talking to these little girls?"

Teddy answered, "They're so cute."

"Bah! I don't trust little girls; especially little girls with blond pigtails."

He was glaring at Becky as he spoke and that scared the daylights out of me.

"If you're talking about Penny Gadget," said Teddy, "don't worry, she's dead."

La Dip said, "Dead?" with curiosity in his voice.

"She died in London."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, I'm absolutely sure."

"Does 'he' know?" La Dip gestured toward the shop with his thumb.

"Of course he does."

"She didn't die in London." growled Dr. Claw, suddenly appearing in the doorway of the shop.

"What are you talking about?" asked Teddy, glaring at Dr. Claw.

"She died in Marseille."

"She was never in Marseille."

"Oh yes she was you idiot. Because you bungled the job in London, I had to track her down in Marseille."

Their conversation was giving me the creeps.

"Is she dead or isn't she?" asked La Dip.

"She's dead." said Teddy and Dr. Claw together.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. I did five years because of that little girl."

La Dip turned on his heel and went into the shop.

"Get inside you idiot." said Dr. Claw, "We shouldn't be talking about this in public."

"What are you worried about?" said Teddy. "They're just little girls."

"Bah!"

Dr. Claw spun around and stalked back into the shop.

Teddy looked at us and shrugged, then followed Dr. Claw through the door.

I repeated that conversation to Alice when I got home and she got very angry; so angry I thought she was going to go kill Teddy then and there. I'll give her credit, she showed amazing self-control and simply took it out on the punching bag in Mitch's work-out room. Later, after she calmed down, we had a long conversation about how to proceed with the case. We decided it was more important to bust the whole MAD gang than to get revenge on Teddy. Still, I wouldn't have been surprised if I woke up one morning and found out she was in jail for murder or, at least, assault and battery.

**[Chapter 16 - The Gadget Way]**

I heard sniffing and felt a cold nose pressing against the palm of my right hand so I turned around to see who or what was behind me. A dog was wagging his tail and smiling up at me. I managed to stop myself from screaming "Brain" but I couldn't stop myself from hugging him and kissing him and petting him. The other girls soon gathered around and smothered him with affection. Of course I was thinking: _If Brain is here then Bob must be here too. _Then I heard his voice and looked up to see him standing next to Teddy in front of the MAD gift shop.

"Excuse me, my good man," said Bob, "perhaps you can assist me."

"What can I do for you?" said Teddy.

Bob put his hand by the side of his mouth and moved closer to Teddy. "Don't tell anybody, but I'm on a top-secret mission. I understand there are MAD agents on this island. Have you seen anything suspicious going on around here?"

There is a certain manic grin that comes over the faces of MAD agents when they first encounter Bob. That kind of grin was on Teddy's face.

"Why yes," said Teddy, "yes I have, now that you mention it."

"You have?" said Bob, "As I always say: talk to the locals; they always know what's going on. So, my good man, what suspicious activity have you observed?"

"I have observed some shady goings on at the Happy Traveler souvenir shop across the street."

A hand extended out of Bob's hat and rubbed his chin while he crossed his arms. "Something shady at the Happy Traveler, you say? Could you be more specific?"

Teddy put a hand on Bob's shoulder and pointed at the shop across the street. "I've seen people coming out of that shop carrying packages wrapped in plain brown paper then they glance around furtively and sneak off."

"Ah yes, glancing around furtively is always a dead giveaway."

"I've always thought so."

"Thank you, my good man, you've been most helpful. Come along, Brain, we've got work to do."

Bob shook Teddy's hand then wandered off across the street toward the Happy Traveler. Brain reluctantly left the group of girls and followed him.

_It's good that he's here. MAD agents always get tunnel vision when he's around. That should free us up to do some investigating. This is going to be so much fun,_ is what I was thinking. I must have been lost in thought because I suddenly realized the rest of the girls had moved on without me.

I started to run after them when I heard Teddy say, "Hey, little girl."

I stopped, turned around and said, as timidly as I could manage, "Y-yes sir?"

"What's your name sweetheart?"

"Jennifer."

Becky ran up to me and grabbed my hand.

"Jenny," she said, in a panic, "what are you doing? We're supposed to stay together."

"Excuse me, sir." I said to Teddy, then fled.

My heart was racing as I ran with Becky to catch up with the other girls.

Alice watched that encounter from a nearby café and asked me about it later that evening so I told her the story.

"I think it's too dangerous for you to go by that shop anymore." she said, with concern on her face.

"But Alice," I said, "it would arouse suspicion if I wasn't with the other girls."

I was reluctant to give up the only part I was playing in the whole scheme.

"But what if he recognizes you and tries to hurt you or even kill you?"

"He won't because I'm just another little girl he likes. Besides, he thinks Amy and Penny are dead."

"Well… okay, but don't take any unnecessary chances."

"But Alice, this is my job. It's what I'm being paid to do."

"Yes, but it's not worth dying for."

"But I'm not doing anything." I complained, crossing my arms and pouting. "There was a time, not too long ago, I would have broken into the MAD warehouse or hitched a ride on one of their submarines or scuba-dived to their underwater hideout, but now, I'm not doing anything and you want to take that away. I feel like I've been put out to pasture."

"They have an underwater hideout?"

"Alice, are you even listening?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get what you're saying."

"You really did all that?" said Becky, standing in the doorway of Alice's room.

"Yeah," I said, "I've done a lot of things like that."

"Wow, that's amazing."

"No, Becky," said Mitch, appearing behind her, "you can't"

"But Dad."

"At least not for ten, no, twenty years."

"But if Jenny can, why can't I?"

"Because Jenny is really twenty years old or so I've been told."

"Really? Then why is she going to school with me? Why is she in my class?"

"Because it's part of my cover," I said, "to fool the bad guys, you might say."

"But how do you disguise yourself like that?"

"It's not a disguise."

"But how…"

"I don't know how or why."

"Let's not pry too much into Jenny's private life, Becky." said Mitch.

"I'm sorry, Jenny." said Becky.

"That's okay." I said, "Does it make a difference? Are we still friends?"

She ran over to me and took my hand. "Of course we're still friends. It doesn't make any difference at all."

"You'll keep it a secret, won't you?"

"Of course I will. You can count on me."

Alice wouldn't let the subject drop (despite the interruption) so we discussed the situation a little while longer. When all was said and done, nothing changed.

The following afternoon, I saw Bob looking out the window of the MAD gift shop and spying on the Happy Traveler souvenir shop across the street with his Gadget-binoculars.

_They must be having fits. He's using their shop as a base. That is so Bob. _I said, to myself, while giggling.

Brain ran out the door of the MAD gift shop when we passed by and all of the girls stopped to pet him. I slipped a note into his collar telling Bob that Teddy and La Dip were MAD agents and that Dr. Claw was somewhere around as well. He probably already knew it, but I wanted to make sure.

Teddy came out of the shop to say hi to all of the girls and Bob joined him. Bob moved on down the street and took Brain with him. Teddy greeted me by name which made the other girls jealous. They couldn't figure out why he would like the little nerdy girl. I didn't like this new development at all.

Alice came home and told me Teddy had recognized her and approached her while she was walking in the shopping district that afternoon and they had coffee and chatted in one of the cafes. They talked about poor little Amy and commiserated with each other over her death. Teddy even said he wore a black arm-band and mourned for many months. I commended her for not scratching his eyes out then and there.

**[Chapter 17 - Closing In]**

Bob came running out of the MAD gift shop holding a finger in the air and yelling, "You there, hold on a second, I want to ask you a few questions."

A man standing in the doorway of the Happy Traveler saw him and ran away. Bob employed his Gadget-skates and went after the man; yelling the whole time. _I wonder who that man is. That used to be Brain's job. _I said, to myself. Brain, however, was sitting in the middle of all the girls receiving a whole lot of love while grinning and wagging his tail.

I heard Dr. Claw screaming, "I told you to eliminate Gadget!"

Teddy and La Dip whined about how they had tried. I mean, it sounded like them. I didn't actually see who it was. They were inside the shop.

Dr. Claw yelled, "Not good enough! Eliminate Gadget! Eliminate Gadget now!"

A loud pounding sound was heard echoing all around.

Teddy, La Dip and some other men ran quickly out of the shop. I'm not sure if they were going after Bob or just trying to get away from Dr. Claw. Teddy didn't stop to talk to us that day.

During our investigation, we discovered Dr. Claw and his MAD agents were smuggling stolen diamonds, rum, Cuban cigars, drugs and miscellaneous contraband through their island base to black markets around the world using submarines (no underwater hideout was ever found). They were also running a legitimate souvenir company (as far as we could tell). Monsieur La Dip had a gang of pickpockets on the island as well. One thing I noticed: Dr. Claw was more 'hands-on' than he used to be. I suppose having so many jobs bungled by his agents was wearing on him. It must be hard being a megalomaniac.

The next day, as Becky and I and the rest of the girls were walking home from school, we discovered the police had cordoned off the block around the MAD gift shop and we couldn't get by. We gathered around the barricades as a large group of men were brought out of the shop in handcuffs.

At that moment, I did something foolish. I took off my glasses and stared at Dr. Claw and his men as they were led to some squad cars. Dr. Claw looked at the crowd and saw me. Our eyes met.

"Penny Gadget?!" he roared, "Aargh! I should have known! Those two idiots lied to me! Curse you Penny Gadget! You think you've won, but I'll get you next time. Mark my words, I'll wipe that smug look off of your face, just you wait and see." He then launched into a profanity laced tirade while a police officer forced him into a squad car.

The people all around me were saying, "Who is he talking to?" All of my friends were wondering the same thing but I kept my mouth shut. One of our friends said, "Look, that cute guy was arrested too. I wonder what he did." which raised the excitement level in our group to a fever pitch.

I was watching Teddy and reading his lips when he said, with a surprised look on his face, "Jenny is Penny? Little Jenny is Penny?" then he gave me a wry smile, a thumbs-up and a wink before a police officer pushed him into a squad-car.

I was incensed.

_What is he doing? Does he think this is just a game?_

I felt like walking over and slapping him.

The police cars pulled away with their lights flashing and sirens blaring. The remaining officers removed the road-blocks. All of the girls were chattering amongst themselves as we made our way past the shop. I noticed Bob and Brain standing next to Chief Quimby. Brain ran over to get petted and the girls gathered around him. I gave Bob a surreptitious little wave and he winked at me in return.

We had a little party that night to celebrate the success of our mission. I wanted to invite Bob and Brain but that would have blown our cover. Still, we had fun with the Spencers and congratulated each other on a job well done.

During the party, we received a message from the home office saying Alice and I must leave the island and move on to a new assignment. That kind of brought the mood of the party down a little but it wasn't totally unexpected.

The next day, we said goodbye to the Spencers and caught a flight to Miami. Yes, I did cry a little. That doesn't surprise you, does it?

**[Chapter 18 - The Spies Who Went into the Cold]**

Alice and I were in Toronto; sitting in the office of one Samuel Rathbone, Private Detective, and he was saying, "I asked Mr. Pringle to send me two experienced investigators and he sends me Charlie's Angel and Dora the Explorer. What's up with that?"

Mr. Rathbone, by the way, is a giant with bushy gray hair piled on top of his pudgy round face; blue eyes widely spaced under a prominent brow, a large bent nose and a long scar on his right cheek. His expression, at that point in time, was one of exasperation.

"Sir," said Alice, trying to suppress a giggle, "Dora, I mean, Jenny has a lot of experience, I mean, investigative experience, that is."

"Sir," I said, while frowning at Alice, "I am an experienced investigator."

He crossed his arms and smirked at me.

"Sir…"

"Call me Sam."

"Sam, sir, if you will check my passport you'll see I'm older than I look."

"I saw it. It can't be right."

"But it is right."

"It must be a misprint or a fake."

"But…"

"Sir, Sam, sir," said Alice, "please, if you'll just give us a chance I'm sure we can do the job."

"Oh," said Mr. Rathbone, with a mischievous grin and a wink, "I'll give you a chance alright. I never said I wouldn't give you a chance. I have a case you can start on right away and your mother-daughter act will work perfectly. Hold on, I'll give you the details."

Now it was my turn to giggle.

Later that evening, at a restaurant near our hotel, Alice was still grumbling about Sam's mother-daughter wisecrack. I decided it would be better to keep my mouth shut and let her complain so I just ate my cheeseburger and listened. I could understand her feelings. I am older than she is after all.

"Jenny," said Alice, setting her half-eaten hamburger onto her plate, "where are your parents?"

"My parents?" I said, startled by the sudden change in topic, "Um… they live in Oklahoma."

"Are they tiny like you?"

"No, no, they're normal sized people."

"Don't they worry about you?"

"Yes."

"Do you ever talk to them?"

"I send letters, but I have to write in such a way that only my mom knows they are from me. If somebody looked through their mail they wouldn't know."

"Do you tell them everything?"

"No way, my mom would have a heart-attack."

"I can believe it."

I finished off the last of my burger and started on the fries. Alice asked me about my father.

"Daddy is a big tough rancher." I said, "Um… I mean ranch-hand, I suppose, he doesn't own the ranch, he just works there."

"Do you get along with him alright?"

"Yeah," I said, with a giggle, "I'm Daddy's little girl. Whenever he sees me he picks me up and carries me around or he'll ask me to sit on his lap and cuddle."

"But… you're an adult woman, to treat you like a small child is so…"

"Normal?"

Alice stared at me.

"Yeah, you're right," she said, with a sigh, "I do it too."

The waitress came to our table and we ordered some dessert and coffee. Of course she looked at me funny but Alice said it was okay.

"What did your father say when you chose your career?" asked Alice, after the waitress took our dessert order and carried away some dirty dishes.

"He said, "Go for it, Cupcake. I want you to be happy" just like that. Gosh, it sure sounds like I'm spoiled, doesn't it?"

"When was the last time you saw your parents?"

"It wasn't too long ago. I went back home to stay with them when I was contemplating retirement."

"Retirement?"

"Yeah, but I soon got the itch again, if you know what I mean."

"I do know what you mean."

The waitress brought our desserts and coffee and left them on the table. We waited for her to clear away the rest of the dirty dishes and glasses before resuming our conversation.

"What did you think of Mr. Rathbone?" I asked, as I dug into my chocolate cake.

"I'm not sure what to think." said Alice, cutting into her pecan pie with a fork, "One minute he's sending us packing and the next minute he has a job for us. Maybe he was just playing with our heads and having a little fun at our expense."

"Yeah, that's probably it."

Alice giggled.

"What's funny?"

"Dora the Explorer."

"Yeah," I said, "and Charlie's Angel."

"I didn't think that was funny."

Alice tried to look angry but couldn't keep a straight face and burst out laughing.

We enjoyed a good laugh together.

All the people at the neighboring tables turned their heads and looked at us.

When we finished our dessert and coffee, we paid the bill, left a generous tip and went back to our hotel.

We were both anxious and excited about being in a new city and starting a new adventure so we stayed up late, talking and making plans.

**[Chapter 19 - Settling and Unsettling]**

When Alice pulled into the driveway I noticed a neatly landscaped lawn with hedges and flowers all around then a lovely single-story house painted white with blue trim came into view.

"Is this our new home then?" I asked.

"Yes." said Alice.

"Just you and me?"

"Yes."

"I like that."

Alice pulled her new little red sports-car into the garage and turned off the engine. We got out of the car then Alice unlocked the door to the house and we walked into the kitchen.

"Very nice." said Alice, running her hand across a shiny counter.

I wandered into the living room. "Alice," I said, "look at this."

She came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Alice," I said, "this is lovely."

"It sure is." she said, with a smile.

She wandered around the living room while I opened one of the bedroom doors.

"Is this my room?"

"Jenny, come here." said Alice, "Look at this."

I walked across the living room and stood next to her. A beautifully decorated office with desks, comfortable chairs and expensive computers met my gaze. "Wow!" was all I could say.

The doorbell rang so I left Alice admiring the computers and went to answer the front door. A short stocky woman with plump round facial features and short brown hair was standing on the stoop next to a small thin mousy little girl with long brown hair and glasses.

"May I help you?" I asked.

"I'm Sam's daughter Stacy and this is my daughter Kathy." said the woman. "Are you Alice?"

"No," I said, "I'm Jenny, Alice is inside. Won't you come in?"

I brought them through the living room and into the office and introduced them to Alice. We chatted for a while about this and that then Stacy offered to take us out to lunch.

"I thought you girls might like to shop for some warmer clothes while we're out." she said, on the way to her car.

"Yes, definitely." I said, while shivering.

The four of us piled into Stacy's car and went to get something to eat. From then on, Stacy and Kathy took us somewhere in the Toronto area at least twice a week. Sometimes Stacy's husband Richard joined us. It was nice to have some friendly people who knew the area show us around.

In the days following, we met many of our new neighbors while we were out riding our bikes or at the playground or just doing our normal everyday activities like shopping and so on... One of them must have reported me to the authorities because some police officers showed up at our door wanting to know why I wasn't in school. We tried to tell them I was an adult and showed them all of our documents but they wouldn't believe us. They kept coming back to the house to harass us. It got to the point where we thought Alice was going to be arrested and I would be put into a foster home. We were very upset and making plans to leave the country when Sam and his lawyers came to our rescue.

After several meetings with city officials, Sam brought my parents to Toronto with my birth certificate to vouch for me. That meant Alice and I had to go back to using our real names and that meant we had to refile some papers in order to be in the country legally. It was a real headache, let me tell you. Sam said it was worth the trouble because he didn't want me wasting my time in school. Mr. Pringle didn't like it because it takes a lot of time and money to produce an alias. I don't know what kind of haggling went on between Sam and Mr. Pringle because I wasn't there. Alice and I were very grateful and happy when the ordeal was over and we could finally get on with our lives.

This is not a knock on Toronto by any means. I'm sure the same thing would have happened no matter where we were living. It's one of the reasons Mr. Pringle always had me in school as part of my cover. I have to say though, it is interesting to see what happens when I try to be grown up.

It was nice to see my parents again and we had a wonderful visit. I asked Alice not to say anything about what happened to us in London and she said she wasn't going to anyway. As they were leaving, I told them we would try to get to Oklahoma to see them soon and they said we were welcome anytime.

**[Chapter 20 - Working]**

Sam liked to take me with him when he visited clients or client's clients. He would tell them I was his granddaughter then lean in close to them, put his hand by the side of his mouth and say, in a loud whisper, "She wants to be a detective, ya know. Sometimes ya just gotta humor 'em, eh?" and the people would just nod their heads and smile at me.

He made me wear a tweed coat, a deerstalker hat, carry a magnifying glass and act like a little girl pretending to be a detective. I played along but wondered where in the world he came up with an idea like that.

He would also use me as an interpreter when he met with his French speaking clients. He can speak French but he wanted me along to get my input after the interview.

Many of Sam's clients were defense attorneys and that was giving me a whole new perspective. Throughout my career, up to that point, I was focused on arresting the criminals and locking them up. Working with defense attorneys made me aware of the possibility the police might have arrested the wrong person or that person might have been set-up or framed. I never worried about that before because, you know, MAD agents are always guilty.

Most of the time, Alice and I worked at home on our computers doing research for Sam and his other agents (all of them called me 'kid' whenever they texted, e-mailed or phoned). Sometimes we worked outside the house in a stake-out, a tail or a sting of some kind. Alice and I used the mother-daughter act effectively once Alice got over her hang-up about it.

All in all, it was very interesting work and kept us very busy.

**[Chapter 21 - My Spare Time Activity]**

I bought myself a small antique writing desk and put it in my bedroom. On it, I wrote letters the old fashioned way with pen and paper. I wrote letters to all of my friends in different parts of the world as well as my mother. I rented a post office box at the neighborhood post office so I could send and receive letters anonymously. In my box, I received letters addressed to Molly, Sophie, Simone, Jenny and Martha.

You probably noticed the name Simone on that list and figured out I was corresponding with Josette. You're right, I was and still am. Of course, I had to make up a story about why I was in Canada and I had to make up some things in the letters but I didn't want her to think I forgot about her. I did make a promise after all.

**[Chapter 22 - Metro City]**

"Hey," said Alice, "I just got a message from London."

We were in our office at home sitting in front of our computers.

"What does it say?"

"Dr. Claw caught pneumonia and died in jail."

Startled, I sat up straight, turned my head and stared wide-eyed at Alice. "Can that really be true?"

"I'm only repeating the message."

"Let's see if there's anything on the internet about that."

I logged onto the official MAD website (a very strange website, believe me) and found an article about the death of Dr. Claw. It was a real tear-jerker.

"This site has something about Dr. Claw." said Alice, reading, "Notorious criminal mastermind found dead."

"Hmm," I said, "this is interesting."

"What?"

"The new CEO of MAD Inc. is someone named Konrad Siegfried."

"Does it say who he is?"

"Yeah, but it's probably all made up."

"Yeah, probably."

"Alice," I said, "now that Dr. Claw is dead, I can go wherever I want to go, right?"

"Where do you want to go?"

"Well, let's see… I want to go to Marseille and I want to visit your family and I want to visit my parents, but I think… the first thing I want to do is visit Bob and Brain in Metro City."

"Why don't we ask Mr. P.?"

"I sure would love to see Bob and Brain again."

"If Mr. P. says it's alright, I'll go with you."

"Alice, you're the best."

I waited anxiously for two days before finally receiving a message from the home office. Mr. Pringle grudgingly gave us permission to go to Metro City but encouraged us to be very careful. Sam gave us permission as well and said we deserved a vacation. I called Bob and told him we were coming. He said he would be very glad to have us and looked forward to seeing us again.

When Bob met us in the Metro City airport terminal, I ran up to him and gave him a big hug. Then I skipped and danced happily through the airport while Alice and Bob walked and talked calmly together like adults.

Brain was waiting in the back seat of the Gadget-mobile when we found it in the parking garage. I sat next to him and hugged him. "Brain, my old friend," I said, "I'm so happy to see you again."

He licked my face.

Alice sat in the front seat next to Bob. She was fascinated by the Gadget-mobile and wanted to know what every button did. Bob was very happy to tell her all about the car as we made our way through the city to the Gadget-house.

"Bob," I said, "I've been meaning to thank you for saving my life in Marseille."

"Ah," he said, "don't mention it. It's all in a day's work."

"I thought it was cool the way you just grabbed Dr. Claw and carried him off into the sky."

"Well, you know what I always say: Inspector Gadget always gets his man."

"I don't remember ever hearing you say that."

"Eh… would you believe: Inspector Gadget always comes through in a pinch?"

"I don't remember that one either."

"How about: Inspector Gadget is always prepared?"

"Um..."

"Thrifty, brave, loyal, ready to do a good deed?"

I jumped up behind him, threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm trying to drive here."

I laughed and kissed him again.

"Sit down young lady." he said, pretending to be angry. "Why don't you have your seatbelt on? Safety first, you know; that's what I always say."

"Sorry Uncle Gadget." I said, sitting back down in the seat next to Brain and fastening my seatbelt.

"That's better."

I heard Alice giggling in the front seat.

When we arrived at the Gadget-house, it looked just the way I remembered it. My room was exactly how I left it on that fateful day when I thought I was just going to visit a University and ended up going to Japan instead. I couldn't believe Bob had kept it that way all those years. As I looked around my room, my mind was flooded with memories and tears came to my eyes.

One evening, during our visit, Bob, Alice, Brain and I went to downtown Metro City to take in the sights. As we were walking along the sidewalk, a small man dressed in a trench-coat and hat stepped in front of us blocking our way. He had an insane look in his eyes and the side of his face was twitching. I thought he was a homeless man at first. "I've got you now, Penny Gadget." he growled, then he pulled a gun out of his coat and shot me in the chest.

I fell backwards and landed hard on the sidewalk. The world went hazy and I was vaguely aware of maniacal laughter, gun shots, commotion, screaming, pain, blood, Alice's soothing voice, sirens, being lifted, an ambulance, doors opening and shutting, doctors and nurses, frenzied activity, the prick of needles then sleep and peace.

**[Chapter 23 - Surviving]**

I was being chased through the maze-like streets of a city then cornered in an alley then menaced by a faceless scary something then… I woke up.

Bob was sitting next to my bed.

"Hey Bob." I said.

"Hey." said Bob.

"I was shot, right?"

"Yep."

"I thought it might have been a dream."

"I only wish it was."

A hand popped out of his hat, reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a handkerchief then wiped his eyes and blew his nose.

"How long was I asleep?"

"I'd say about eight hours."

The hand wadded up the handkerchief and stuffed it into one of his coat pockets then recoiled back into his hat.

"Eight hours?"

"Yep. You were in surgery for about an hour then they brought you in here."

"Surgery?" I said, rubbing my hand over the bandages on my chest. "They didn't have to remove anything, did they?"

"Only the bullet." said Alice from behind me.

I rolled over in the bed, smiled at Alice, reached out and grabbed her hand and noticed some tears in her pretty eyes.

"I still have all my limbs and organs and stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah, you still have everything." she said.

"That's a relief."

Alice leaned over to kiss my cheek and I put my arms around her neck and held her close to me.

"I'm so sorry I let you down again." she said, with a sob.

"Oh, Alice, don't say that. Please don't say that."

I held her for a very long time and refused to let go. It made me sad to think she was blaming herself again and I wondered what kind of torment she put herself through while she was waiting for me to wake up. I cried because I had made her unhappy.

When I could finally be persuaded to let her go, she grabbed some tissues out of her purse and wiped my face. Then she grabbed some more tissues and wiped her own face. I looked at Bob and he had tears in his eyes so I hugged him too.

"Alice," I said, "did you call Sam?"

"Yes." said Alice, "He's very concerned."

"I imagine so."

"Stacy said she had a hard time explaining the situation to Kathy."

"Doesn't she know that I'm a detective?"

"Yes, on one hand she does, but on the other hand: you're her friend; a girl she hangs around with and plays games with; a girl just like her; a girl who lives in her world. She doesn't understand the other world you live in; the world of madmen and guns and vendettas."

I stared at Alice for a brief moment; stunned by her speech.

"Yeah, I see your point." I said, clearing my throat, "Speaking of a madman with a vendetta: What happened to Dr. Claw?"

"Dr. Claw is dead." said Bob.

"Dead?"

"Shot in the back by one of his men."

"Really?"

"In the middle of his maniacal laugh he, plop, fell over dead."

"We were just about ready to pounce on him too." said Alice, with a cute little pout.

"I don't remember seeing any MAD agents in the crowd." I said, then thought: _That's a silly thing to say._

"After Dr. Claw shot you, his killer stepped out of the alley and shot him then ran away."

"I should tell you," said Alice, "the official story is: Dr. Claw and MAD agents were gunning for Inspector Gadget and a poor little innocent girl was shot by mistake."

"I guess that would have to be the official story, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah."

"So, you mean, someone killed Dr. Claw with one shot?"

"Yep." said Bob.

"Maybe he should have hired that guy to shoot me."

"Martha," said Alice, "that's not funny."

"Sorry Mom."

Alice shook her head, smirked and rolled her eyes.

I giggled but had to stop because of the intense pain in my chest.

I heard Bob say "Wowzers!" under his breath then looked up and saw a pretty nurse with an hourglass figure (just how Bob likes 'em) approaching my bed.

"Mr. Jones," said the nurse, "this is so disturbing. That such a thing could happen to your daughter is so awful. Metro City used to be such a safe place to live. Nowadays I'm afraid to let my little girl play on the sidewalk in front of the house. It's so sad really."

_She called him Mr. Jones, hee-hee-hee-ouch._

"Miss…" said Bob.

"Missus"

"Huh?"

"Mrs. Montgomery," said the nurse, "but you can call me Nurse Amy."

Alice and I looked at each other and giggled.

_Ouch! I really have to stop doing that._

"Nurse Amy," said Bob, "is Martha going to be okay?"

"Yes sir," said Nurse Amy, "she's going to be okay."

"That's great news."

"Ah, Gadget," said a voice by the door, "I thought I would find you here."

"Come in, Chief." said Bob.

Chief Quimby came into the room and stood at the foot of the bed. "Young lady," he said, with his thumbs pulling out his suspenders, "let me offer a sincere apology on behalf of Metro city and the Metro City Police Department."

"Thank you sir." I said.

"Have a seat, Chief." said Bob, pulling over another chair.

The chief sat down then whispered to Bob, "I think I know this girl from somewhere."

Bob whispered in return, "I know what you mean, Chief."

"Nurse Amy," I said, "would it be alright if I sat up?"

"Yes." said the nurse. "That would be alright."

"I think I need some help."

Alice and Nurse Amy each took a hold of an arm and helped me sit up. Nurse Amy put some pillows behind my back.

"Nurse Amy," I said, "I'm hungry."

"I'll bring something for you right away." she said, and headed toward the door.

"Thank you."

I looked around the room and smiled. It felt good to be alive, despite the pain in my chest. Bob and Chief Quimby were talking shop so I listened for a while.

Something occurred to me.

"Bob," I said, "did you notice what Dr. Claw was wearing?"

"Yes I did, as a matter of fact." said Bob.

"I wonder why he was dressed like that."

"Perhaps he was trying to make it look like I shot you."

"Yes, I see, that makes sense."

Chief Quimby sat up in his seat, startled, and said, "Did she just call you Bob?"

Bob said, "Yes" and the Chief asked why. Bob said it was because it was his name and the chief said he didn't know that it was his name. Then Bob said, "It's in my file" and the Chief said he hadn't looked at Bob's file in years. Then the Chief said, "How did _she_ know your name was Bob?" and Bob said he had told me his name was Bob and the Chief wondered why and Bob made some excuse. The conversation meandered around like that for a while and I lost track of it because Nurse Amy brought in some food and I concentrated on eating. I was very hungry.

**[Chapter 24 - Confession]**

One lovely sunny day, a member of the Metro City Hospital staff pushed me outside in a wheelchair to a park area in the back of the hospital building and left me under a shady tree. I could have walked but they insisted. Alice had gone shopping so I was left alone with a book.

A short while later, Bob walked up to me and handed me a red rose then sat down on the bench located next to my wheelchair.

I said, "Hey Bob, what's up?" and thanked him for the rose.

I bookmarked the page in my book and put the book down next to me in my wheelchair.

"Martha," said Bob, nervously, "I've had something on my mind; something I've wanted to talk to you about for a long time."

"Okay." I said, as I smelled the lovely fragrance of the rose.

"You see, Martha, the thing is… when you lived with me, I mean, when we were together… I… I… I was a bumbling idiot."

"No you weren't, Bob." I said, "You were just faking it."

"I wasn't faking it."

"But _you_ said you were just faking it."

"No, _you_ said I was just faking it. I just didn't correct you."

"But…"

"Let me finish."

"Okay."

"You see, shortly after you left me, Professor Gizmo implanted a device in my head; a brain enhancer of some kind. My intelligence was increased considerably."

"That's awesome!"

"I'm glad you think so."

I smiled and nodded my head.

"You see, Martha, what I'm trying to say is… after I became smart, uh… I mean, smarter anyway, I went over all of my cases; those eight years with you in particular. I found out who really solved those cases and it wasn't me. You are the reason I'm known as a great detective, Martha. I owe all my success to you. That's what I wanted to say."

"No, Bob," I said, "that's not true at all. It was a team effort. I could never have accomplished anything without you and Brain."

"You and Brain could have done just as well with a chauffeur." he said, sadly.

"You know that's not true."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, Bob," I said, grabbing his hand, "what's the matter? Why are you so down on yourself?"

'Well, you see, I… I just think I should have been able to stop Dr. Claw from doing what he did, that's all."

"What else could you do? I mean, you arrested him three times and somehow he got out again. What are you supposed to do about that? You shouldn't blame yourself, really you shouldn't."

"But I do blame myself."

"And I blame myself, and Alice blames herself, and Mr. Pringle is in London blaming himself too."

"Is he?"

"Yes, he told me so over the phone."

"I see."

We sat and stared at the ground for a while without saying anything. I mulled over all the mistakes I had made that led up to the shooting. It really was a blow to my pride, let me tell you. I don't know what Bob was thinking but he looked unhappy.

"Martha," he said, "are you sure you're going to be okay going back to Toronto?"

"Oh sure," I said, "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"But I do worry about you, you know."

I leaned over, kissed his cheek and whispered, "I love you, Uncle Gadget" which brought a smile to his face.

"Am I interrupting something?" asked Alice.

"No, no… nothing." I said, sitting up straight, shaking my head and feeling a little embarrassed but not knowing why.

"Have a seat." said Bob, scooting over and patting the bench next to him.

Alice sat on the bench and opened a shopping bag she had with her.

"What a pretty rose." she said.

"Bob gave it to me." I said.

"How sweet."

"What do you have in the bag?"

"I bought an outfit for you to wear on our flight back home tomorrow."

"Ooo, let me see."

Alice pulled a pair of long black pants and a pink and white long-sleeved pull-over shirt out of the bag and held them up in front of me.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Nice." I said, "It's looks cute and… warm."

"There's supposed to be a front coming through tonight and you know it's going to be cold at home."

"Thank you, Alice. I love it." I said, as I hugged her.

"I'm sure it will look adorable on you." she said, kissing my cheek.

The three of us sat and talked about the weather, the next day's trip and many other things until Nurse Amy came out to get me and wheeled me back to my room.

**[Chapter 25 - The Last Straw]**

Sam let me go back to work, but only at home and only part-time. I told him I was ready to go full-time and out on the streets but he wouldn't budge. The worse thing of it was: Alice agreed with him, and so did Mr. Pringle and so did Richard, Stacy and Kathy and even Sam's wife. "I'm perfectly healthy. I don't need to be coddled." I complained, but to no avail. "You're an asset at home on your computer." Sam would say, "You don't need to take any risks." I didn't think they were being fair to me at all so I griped until I got my way.

Maybe I should have thought that through a little bit more.

It was a simple task. I just had to sneak into an alley and peek in through a window to see who was inside. It was something I had done a thousand times before. But just as I got close to the window I heard a loud noise and froze. Then I found I couldn't un-freeze and panicked. I became paralyzed with fear and anxious thoughts ran through my head.

Alice took my hand and led my whimpering self out of the alley and into a nearby coffee shop. She sat me down at a table and put her arms around me. I was shaking and crying and sweating and feeling faint. Fear and anxiety had completely taken over my mind and body. I couldn't believe what was happening to me. The girl who could explore pyramids, dark forests and criminal hideouts without batting an eye had suddenly been reduced to a sniveling coward. All I could do was tremble and weep.

"Alice," I said, through my tears, "d-don't you have to go?"

"I'm not leaving you." she said, tenderly.

"B-but what about the mission?"

"Sam's got it covered."

"Huh?"

"We were afraid this was going to happen."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Martha, do you think you're the first person who's ever had Post-traumatic Stress Disorder?"

"Is that w-what this is?"

"Well, some people might call it a nervous breakdown."

A waitress approached the table and asked if we wanted to order anything. Alice asked for two cups of coffee and a glass of water. The waitress turned around then turned around again and asked, "Is your daughter alright?"

"She just had a little scare, that's all." said Alice, "She'll be fine."

"Poor child." said the waitress, as she walked away.

Sam came into the coffee shop and sat in the chair next to me.

"I'm sorry, sir." I said, still unable to stop the tears.

"You don't need to apologize, Martha." said Sam, gently, "I know just what you're going through."

"You do?"

"I went through the same thing several years ago. Have you ever wondered how I got this scar on my face?"

I nodded my head.

"I'll tell you the story sometime."

The waitress brought the coffee and water to the table then Alice asked her to bring a cup of coffee for Sam as well. She went away and Alice helped me drink some of the water because my hands were still shaking.

"Martha," said Sam, "do you understand now why we kept you at home?"

"Y-yes sir," I whimpered, "b-but you could have just told me."

"Would you have believed me?"

"No, no, I wouldn't have. I know I wouldn't have. Even the times I was captured I didn't feel like this. This is horrible."

Alice held me and comforted me while I cried.

"That must have been quite a scare." said the waitress, as she placed Sam's coffee on the table.

"We were separated for a brief moment" said Alice, "and some drunk guy jumped out at her from one of the alleys."

"Poor dear. That would scare me too."

_How easy it is to make up stories. _I thought, as I clung to Alice.

Alice wiped my face with a napkin.

The crying subsided on its own so I sat up and gingerly sipped some coffee and drank little more water. By that time I was just feeling silly and embarrassed.

The waitress put a piece of apple pie in front of me and said, "Maybe this will help you feel better, sweetie. Don't worry, it's on the house."

I thanked her then asked Alice and Sam if they wanted some of the pie. They said no, so I ate the whole thing myself. I think it did make me feel better.

After that experience, I just wanted to stay in the house and hide. Sometimes I didn't even want to get out of bed. I would pull the covers over my head and pretend like the world didn't exist. That didn't work for very long because, as I mentioned before, I'm claustrophobic. I had to take the covers off of my face just so I could breathe. Hiding in the closet or under the bed wasn't going to work for me either.

On top of the PTSD and claustrophobia I was having nightmares. Most of them featured Dr. Claw. I felt like he was haunting me. I would wake up startled and frightened and sweaty. Then I would usually get out of bed and watch some TV in the living room just so I could think about something else. If Alice heard me (I tried not to disturb her) she would come out of her room and sit with me.

The nightmares were not a new phenomenon. I had been having them since the cave incident. They just seemed to be getting more intense with each traumatic event that followed.

Alice wouldn't let me hide in the house. She insisted we go somewhere with people around at least once a day even if it was just to the grocery store. Stacy and Kathy would come and take us places now and then and I felt fine as long as I was with the group. It took a while to find the courage to go somewhere alone but I eventually managed to do it and it got a little easier every time. I do think that ordeal with PTSD was the hardest thing I ever faced in my life. Well, actually, the physical therapy in Marseille might have been harder but it was close. Still, with the help of my friends (especially Alice), my life returned to normal. I mean, relatively normal, it is my life we're talking about after all.

**[Epilogue]**

Alice places a hot mug of coffee on my desk just to the left of my computer screen then gives my back a gentle pat and rub. I am still wearing my pajamas, robe and slippers and absentmindedly swinging my little legs back and forth under my chair. Alice is wearing her favorite gray sweats. I look up at her pretty face, smile and thank her for the coffee. She lingers for a brief moment to give my back another pat then wanders nonchalantly over to her desk and plops down in her chair. I pick up the mug of hot coffee with my left hand and gingerly take a sip while deftly manipulating the mouse with my right to check for messages.

And so begins another day…

**THE END**


End file.
